Photoshop 911 FAQ and Short tips
- [12.1] Transparent images to Quark
- [12.2] How to simulate embroidery
- [12.3] Scanned Photos with Screens
- [12.4] Gif files seem to be locked
- [12.5] No previews for BMP files
- [12.6] Sharpen Enlargements
- [12.7] Faded edges on photos
- [11.1] Vignetting
- [11.2] Color from B&W
- [11.3] Reduced files become Jagged
- [11.4] End of file
- [11.5] Convert Layer to Grayscale
- [11.6] Lost Clone Tool
- Transparent images to Quark
- Symptoms: "How do you make portions of an image transparent and save it so the transparencies will still be there when putting them in Quark?"
Diagnosis: Again, you need to see our article on Clipping Paths in Photoshop.
and by all means see Joe Kling's tutorial.
This is actually about importing shadows into Quark however the clipping path is shown there as well. In your case, if you have more than one contiguous area to be transparent, then you'll need to make those paths all on the same path layer in Photoshop so they all become 'clipping' paths once exported with the EPS file.
- How to simulate embroidery
- Symptoms: "Would you please explain how to create an embroidered, stitched look in Photoshop to a graphic (a logo or name for example) that we could then place on a picture of a shirt or cap, etc.? "
Diagnosis: We are unaware of a filter or effect that accomplishes this in a single application. However, the Alien Skin "Xenofex
" plug-in has a "fir" filter and several background effects that look just like embroidered stitches. You could start there. The embroider industry has software that actually converts an image to stitches but I do not know if that actually shows the stitches.
Simulating stitches would be difficult because of the way the light reflects off the shiny silk thread used in most embroidery machines.
- Scanned Photos with Screens
- Symptoms: "I asked my printer to scan some old black and white photos from an old print mechanical so I could make a new PageMaker version with electronic photos. Two of the original photos were missing, so they scanned "clean" halftones from printed copies. How can I reduce or eliminate the screen dot patterns in the scanned tiffs so I can use them as source files linked to my PageMaker publication?"
Diagnosis: If your printer didn't use the scanner's "Descreen" functions, then shame on him. He could have rotated the image 15% in the scanner and eliminate 90% of the dot pattern, and you could blur out the rest. The only alternatives open to you are a gentle series of blur/resample cycles, however this tends to make the photo fuzzy. Try the Despeckle filter. This slightly blurs noise in an image without disturbing the edges of objects.
- Gif files seem to be locked
- Symptoms: "When I import a gif from my pictures file, the gif is locked and I can't do any editing. Is it possible to unlock the gif? If not, can I create layers for the desired affect? How do I move the gif from the background to the foreground? "
Diagnosis: Your GIF file is NOT locked. It's set to "Indexed Color" mode -- the files cannot be edited in this mode, you must first convert it to RGB or CYMK. Go to the Image menu, to "MODE" and select any one of eight different modes. To move the GIF off the background go to the Windows menu, and select Show Layers. Click on the background layer and drag it down onto the "New Layer" button. Your image will be duplicated onto its own layer, and you can recolor the background to suite.
- No previews for BMP files
- Symptoms: "Is there a reason that BMP images cannot be displayed in Photoshop's open dialog box's preview window? I never bothered with it until someone pointed out that every other format can be previewed before opening except for BMP."
Diagnosis: This is dependant on whether or not the BMP was saved with a "preview." Generally you will not find previews embedded unless the BMP was saved out of Photoshop with the preview button checked. "Previews" are a relatively new concept to Windows and only the newer versions of WIN graphics programs actually have the ability to save previews.
- Sharpen Enlargements
- Symptoms: "I have a question: How do I sharpen an image that I have enlarged. I tried using unsharp mask, but there was no affect. "
Diagnosis: When you sample an image to a larger size you cause the image to actually lose resolution. Photoshop attempts to 'invent pixels to 'fill in' the image in a larger version. By virtue of this process your edges are further obscured. Unsharp Mask as well as the other sharpening filters act on edges of color areas. You will have very bad results resampling an image to a bigger size, and should try to avoid it.
- Faded edges on photos
- Symptoms: "I have a question: I am trying to create a faded out look for the edge of a photo. When I use the blur tool, it blurs the entire photo, not just the edge. "
Diagnosis: Blur is not the tool you want to use. You'll be wanting the "Feather" command under the "Select" menu. See our "Feathreing" tutorial in the "Seminars" department.
- Color from B&W
- Symptoms: "How do you convert black and white photo to colour photo please give basic idea about the steps needed"
Diagnosis: This requires a long, detailed answer. Get started: (A) Create a new Layer > Adjustment Layer > Saturation. (B) Lighten to about 80% (C) Create a new layer, set (D) Blending to "Multiply, (E) Use a brush and begin painting. [Tip: pull open a color photo containing similar 'values' of the colors you wish to use in your colorized photo, and sample those colors and textures with the Eyedropper tool.] See: "Colorizing" and the feature article "Colorizing" in the Seminars department.
- End of file
- Symptoms: "Could not open ""C:\Blah, Blah, Blah," because an unexpected end-of-file was encountered."
Diagnosis: Open a file on any volume, that results in an "end-of-file" error means the file was not saved in its entirety. (A) Save was interrupted, or (B) a portion of the file was written over a corrupted block on the hard drive. This is not a Photoshop or Elements problem. There are some utilities that may help recover the file. Sorry.
- Reduced files become Jagged
- Symptoms: "When downsizing image becomes rastered digital capture size is 32 inches x 23 inches @ 72 dpi when I place image onto a 8.5 x 11 document 150 res to about a 3x5 size it gets very rastered (jagged edges) it doesn't happen all the time any ideas? Thank You"
Diagnosis: You haven't given enough information. Based on what we know, the file was an indexed color file. (Gif or Pict, indexed color) Make sure the file is RGB or CYMK before reducing. (The math sounds a bit off as well: a file that size would not become 3 x 5 with only 150 ppi.) See: resolution.html, and detail.html
- Convert Layer to Grayscale
- Symptoms: "Want to know how to change a layer to grayscale without changing the rest"
Diagnosis: Make the layer active. Tap V. Go: Image Menu > Adjust > Hue/Saturation and adjust the slider. (May also use an Adjustment Layer for Hue/Saturation with exactly the same end result, except the original layer is actually not changed.)
- Lost Clone Tool
- Symptoms: "how do you pull up the cloning tool? i can't remember and can't seem to locate it. thanks"
Diagnosis: Tap the letter "S", 5th tool down on the left column. Pulls out to reveal the Pattern Stamp. (Often called the "Rubber Stamp" tool, its original name.
- Symptoms: "How can one do vignetting on a photograph?"
Diagnosis: There are actually a number of ways however the most popular and fool-proof is to (A) Create a new layer, (B) Make a selection around the image you wish to vignette using the Rectangle (or Elipse) Marquee, (C) Go: Select > Feature, and set an amount of feathering, (D) Go: Select > Inverse and (E) Option/Delete (Alt) to fill the background with the desired color -- leaving a vignetted 'hole' in the layer showing your original image through. See: "Feathering"
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